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The Booklovers' Guide to Wine: A Celebration of the History, the Mysteries and the Literary Pleasures of Drinking Wine
A fact-filled, jargon free guide to wine, bursting with entertaining anecdotes, literary quotes and compelling humor that will teach you everything you always wanted to learn about wine but were too scared to ask.
Pure delight. "This book would be a highly recommendable primer on wine without the literary references as Alexander guides us through regions and grapes, plus how to truly appreciate this nectar. But the hefty chapter matching grapes with authors is pure delight: albariño and J.R.R. Tolkien, chardonnay and Jane Austen, and his personal favorite, gewürztraminer and Marcel Proust." - Minneapolis Star Tribune
The pleasures of great wine and great writers. Under the careful guidance of his father, Patrick Alexander began drinking wine with his meals at the age of five. At the same age, encouraged by his mother, he began a lifelong love-affair with books. The twin pleasures of wine and writing remained his passion for the next sixty-five years. He has raised his own children in many of the world’s great wine growing regions, from Bordeaux and Piedmont in Europe to the Santa Cruz mountains of California while researching and writing his definitive guide to the novels of Marcel Proust.
History of wine and some of the best wines. For the past six years, Patrick has been teaching a sold-out wine appreciation class at the nation’s No.1 independent bookstore, Books & Books in Coral Gables, Florida. The Booklovers' Guide to Wine is based on this very successful class and blends Patrick’s passion for the culture and history of wine and his love of literature for the world's great writers. A literary twist on traditional food and wine pairings, this book explores how great wines and great writers can be combined to enhance the enjoyment of both. The book describes the history of wine from the time of Noah to the birth of two-buck Chuck.
Pure delight. "This book would be a highly recommendable primer on wine without the literary references as Alexander guides us through regions and grapes, plus how to truly appreciate this nectar. But the hefty chapter matching grapes with authors is pure delight: albariño and J.R.R. Tolkien, chardonnay and Jane Austen, and his personal favorite, gewürztraminer and Marcel Proust." - Minneapolis Star Tribune
The pleasures of great wine and great writers. Under the careful guidance of his father, Patrick Alexander began drinking wine with his meals at the age of five. At the same age, encouraged by his mother, he began a lifelong love-affair with books. The twin pleasures of wine and writing remained his passion for the next sixty-five years. He has raised his own children in many of the world’s great wine growing regions, from Bordeaux and Piedmont in Europe to the Santa Cruz mountains of California while researching and writing his definitive guide to the novels of Marcel Proust.
History of wine and some of the best wines. For the past six years, Patrick has been teaching a sold-out wine appreciation class at the nation’s No.1 independent bookstore, Books & Books in Coral Gables, Florida. The Booklovers' Guide to Wine is based on this very successful class and blends Patrick’s passion for the culture and history of wine and his love of literature for the world's great writers. A literary twist on traditional food and wine pairings, this book explores how great wines and great writers can be combined to enhance the enjoyment of both. The book describes the history of wine from the time of Noah to the birth of two-buck Chuck.
392 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2017
88 people are currently reading
94 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 28, 2018
After countless misspellings, grammatical errors and straight up repetition of sentences, I was shocked to discover that this book had an editor. No, wait, two!
Found this title while perusing amazon and thought literary wine pairings sounded whimsical and worth $6. This is not that—it’s a “wine appreciation course” with occasional reminders that the author was/is a Proust scholar and scores of divulgences of his personal tastes. As I happen to think the British are not wholly responsible for the history of wine, that Riesling is utterly delicious, that the Germans are talented vintners and that F. Scott Fitzgerald was brilliant, the book irritated me frequently. So many superior wine books are out there, and they honestly describe themselves.
Found this title while perusing amazon and thought literary wine pairings sounded whimsical and worth $6. This is not that—it’s a “wine appreciation course” with occasional reminders that the author was/is a Proust scholar and scores of divulgences of his personal tastes. As I happen to think the British are not wholly responsible for the history of wine, that Riesling is utterly delicious, that the Germans are talented vintners and that F. Scott Fitzgerald was brilliant, the book irritated me frequently. So many superior wine books are out there, and they honestly describe themselves.
September 1, 2020
This book had really nothing to do with “wine and literature” which is why I chose to read it. A good overall book on wine yes, but a somewhat deceiving title.
March 2, 2021
Easy to read, enjoyable, and informative. Anyone who enjoys wine will enjoy this book. The connection between wine and books was an added bonus and an appreciation of both certainly improved my satisfaction with overall presentation of the information.
March 13, 2022
Its a good 101 about viniculture, but aside from a quote at the beginning of each chapter about wine from a famous author, the book has nothing to do with booklovers or literary pairings or wine in books.
January 29, 2022
Very detailed and I learned a lot. Excited to try more wine now
April 7, 2019
a fairly comprehensive introduction to the world of wine + the highlight is a small section on wine varietals paired with literary luminaries
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“It is a truth, universally acknowledged, that anywhere in the world that people gather for wine and cheese, Chardonnay is always to be found. In the same way, like Dickens and Cabernet Sauvignon, Jane Austen and Chardonnay have a universal appeal.”
🥂
instagram book reviews @brettlikesbooks
🍷
“It is a truth, universally acknowledged, that anywhere in the world that people gather for wine and cheese, Chardonnay is always to be found. In the same way, like Dickens and Cabernet Sauvignon, Jane Austen and Chardonnay have a universal appeal.”
🥂
instagram book reviews @brettlikesbooks
February 6, 2018
I read this book out of order based on what I was interested in and wanted to learn about wine. This book is very informative and easy to read and understand. I’m definitely glad I purchased this book as it will make a great resource in the future as I learn more about wine. Definitely recommend to anyone who has an interest in wine 🍷
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews